Methods and related systems for modulating neural activity by repetitively blocking conduction in peripheral neural structures with chemical blocking agents are disclosed. Methods and systems for reversing effects of chemical blocking agents and/or for producing substantially permanent conduction block are also disclosed.

Manifestation of some physiological responses (e.g., stress, mental workload, or a headache) may involve the emergence of asymmetric thermal patterns on the face. Thus, thermal measurements of the face that are indicative of thermal asymmetry can be useful to detect such physiological responses. In one embodiment, a system includes first and second inward-facing head-mounted thermal cameras (CAM1 and CAM2, respectively) that are located less than 15 cm from the user's face, which take thermal measurements of regions on the right and left sides of the face (TH.sub.ROI1 and TH.sub.ROI2, respectively) of the user. The symmetric overlapping between the regions on the right and left sides (ROI.sub.1 and ROI.sub.2, respectively) is above 60%, and CAM1 and CAM2 do not occlude ROI.sub.1 and ROI.sub.2. Optionally, the system includes a computer that detects a physiological response based on thermal asymmetry between TH.sub.ROI1 and TH.sub.ROI2.

Surgical access port stabilization systems and methods are described herein. Such systems and methods can be employed to provide ipsilateral stabilization of a surgical access port, e.g., during spinal surgeries. In one embodiment, a surgical system can include an access port configured for percutaneous insertion into a patient to define a channel to a surgical site and an anchor configured for insertion into the patient's bone. Further, the access port can be coupled to the anchor such that a longitudinal axis of the access port and a longitudinal axis of the anchor are non-coaxial. With such a system, a surgeon or other user can access a surgical site through the access port without the need for external or other stabilization of the access port, but can instead position the access port relative to an anchor already placed in the patient's body.

Adjustable-length surgical access devices are disclosed herein, which can advantageously allow an overall length of the access device to be quickly and easily changed by the user. The access devices herein can reduce or eliminate the need to maintain an inventory of many different length access devices. In some embodiments, the length of the access device can be adjusted while the access device is inserted into the patient. This can reduce or eliminate the need to swap in and out several different access devices before arriving at an optimal length access device. This can also reduce or eliminate the need to change the access device that is inserted into a patient as the depth at which a surgical step is performed changes over the course of a procedure. Rather, the length of the access device can be adjusted in situ and on-the-fly as needed or desired to accommodate different surgical depths.

Methods and systems are provided for the automated detection and analysis of structural tissue alterations related to myelin and axons/neurons in one or more biological structures of a patient's nervous system obtained from data from a medical imaging system, or the initial sensing or data collection processes such as, those that could be used to generate an image. In some embodiments, the method comprises, at a system having a memory and one or more processor for processing and displaying images of the biological structure, computationally processing at least a T1 weighted magnetic resonance image of the structure and a T2 weighted magnetic resonance image of the structure in order to analyze at least a portion of the structure of the nervous system using a plurality of stored tissue classifier elements to determine if the portion of the structure correlates with the presence of myelin. Such methods are useful for the detection of diseases associated with demyelination.

Connectors for connecting or linking one instrument or object to one or more other instruments or objects are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, a connector can include a first arm with a first attachment feature for attaching to a first object, such as a surgical access device, and a second arm with a second attachment feature for attaching to a second object, such as a support. The connector can have an unlocked state, in which the position and orientation of the access device can be adjusted relative to the support, and a locked state in which movement of the access device relative to the support is prevented or limited. Locking the connector can also be effective to clamp or otherwise attach the connector to the access device and the support, or said attachment can be independent of the locking of the connector.

Systems and methods for treating a fibrous mass, which is comprised of a Morton's neuroma, are disclosed. In one exemplary implementation, a method may comprise identifying a location of the fibrous mass and non-surgically delivering electromagnetic energy to the fibrous mass. Embodiments may include delivering the energy via a Nd:Yag laser at various specified parameters, such as duration, pulse count, and tissue depth, among others.

Neuromuscular monitoring is described that uses a novel lead assembly and a monitor that can select the appropriate electrodes on the lead assembly and calibrate the stimulation signals applied to the patient through the lead assembly. The monitoring can also set a noise floor value to reduce the likelihood of an erroneous train of four ratio.

A nervous tissue imaging system includes a pair of matched filters, including an excitation light filter that only passes excitation light in a first wavelength range from 365 nm to 400 nm, and a received light detection filter that only passes received light in a second wavelength range from 433 nm to 450 nm. An endoscope is connected with a first source optical train for guiding excitation light through the first source optical train and the excitation light filter to uniformly illuminate the excitation light on a patient's tissue region of interest inside an enclosed cavity of the patient's body. The endoscope is connected to a camera device and a receiving optical train and the received light detection filter for receiving and passing into the camera device light signals including autofluorescence light in the second wavelength range from healthy nervous tissue in the patient's tissue region of interest.

A nerve electrode cuff includes an electrode and a cuff body.